The real history of Fódlan
by Blueshade Seraphim
Summary: I know how confusing the lore of Three Houses can be, so I made this story to help everyone get caught up. You’re welcome.


**(Hey guys! Are all my serafans having a good day today? After playing through Blue Lions again, I remembered something: often times many people who play 3H have varying levels of understanding on the history of Fódlan. And with certain paths skewing one thing or another, I thought I'd help out by getting everyone on track about what actually happened.**

**As a disclaimer, I'm gonna be a tad broad with how much detail I get into, but I'll try to get everything written down that's important. Also, understand that I am human. Humans make mistakes. If I've missed anything essential, please specify in a review. And I think you can guess, but there are gonna be spoilers in this story. Okay, let's get this on!)**

Long long ago, Fódlan was united as one country. And one day, a powerful being descended upon the land from the star, Sirius. This being was known as Sothis, and so as not to alarm the native humans, Sothis altered her appearance to that of a human child. Taking a liking to the land, Sothis established a settlement for herself and her future bloodline, in what was at the time a prosperous land of plenty, Zanado. Little by little, this race of her children, known as the Nabateans, thrived in their new land. They were easily identifiable by their green hair, and also had a _much _longer lifespan than any normal human. For years, the Nabateans and other humans lived in relative peace...

...But then, one day the Nabateans caught the attention of a particular civilization of humans: The Agarthans. Making tremendous strides in magic and technology, and feeded by a jealousy of the Nabateans prosperity and love from Sothis, a grudge soon took form in their hearts. Overtaken by zealotry and greed, the Agarthans thought they had no need of these "invaders". In fact, their self image had become so corrupted that they thought themselves mightier than Sothis herself. Believing themselves untouchable, they declared war on Sothis and her kin. Sothis' daughter Seiros led the defense of Zanado, aided by her fellow Nabateans. But for as many times as the Agarthans were repelled, each defeat only sunk them further into self-induced hatred. Seeing this would never end, Seiros took the fight to their home, Agartha. It was a violent clash, tearing the land of Fódlan asunder, and devastating the very soil, but it was done. Agartha was reduced to rubble, and the foul race had been defeated...

Or so they thought. Some Agarthans had constructed a series of underground shelters, and waited out the war. Seeing that they were ill equipped for this fight. With the entirety of Fódlan in ruins, Sothis used her powers to heal the land from the destruction, eventually succeeding, but significantly weakened. Sothis then returned to her home, The Holy Tomb, to rest and recover. However, the Agarthans still plotted their revenge. Knowing they would be wiped out if they do recklessly tried to pull the same stunt again, they acted behind the curtains and conspired to destroy the Nabateans, and Sothis. In secret, they hired the services of a man named Nemesis. A notorious leader of a band of thieves. And manipulated him into believing Sothis was evil. Tasking him with infiltrating The Holy Tomb, and killing Sothis, the Agarthans patiently waited underground for their schemes to be enacted.

Nemesis was indeed able to complete his mission tasked to him by the Agarthans. Mercilessly slaughtering Sothis in her sleep. But he didn't stop there, he harvested her bones and forged them into a sword, and placed her heart in its hilt. This was The Sword of the Creator. And after drinking the blood of Sothis, (granting him the crest of flames), and obtaining the power it granted, Nemesis continued his genocide against the Nabateans. He obliterated Zanado, painting the walls of the canyon in blood. Giving Zanado the new title, "The Red Canyon". Along the way, he did the same thing he did with Sothis to several Nabateans, crafting weapons out of their remains and presenting them to his most trusted soldiers, The 10 Elites. Also gifting them with their own Nabatean blood and, by extension, crests. But for all his bloodshed, Seiros, and several key members of her army, survived: Cethleann, Cichol, Indech, and Macuil. Figures who would go on to be known as The Four Saints.

And all the while, the horror show that Nemesis was orchestrating went on. The Agarthans still hid away, even though their enemies had suffered countless losses. Drunk with the power he now possessed, Nemesis went on a rampage, wiping out entire civilizations of innocents for sport. Even The 10 Elites were shocked at inhuman atrocities Nemesis was starting. And so, they fled and secretly allied with Seiros to stop this madness. Countless other humans joined her ranks, wanting Nemesis to be stopped once and for all. And so Seiros emerged one final time, to slay the monster that had butchered her mother and extended family, on the Tailtean Plains. After a hard fought fight, Nemesis had been killed, and The War of Heroes, as it would come to be named, was over.

Seiros was relieved it was over, but also knew from Nemesis and the Agarthans, that humans had a capacity for great evil. And if someone with a black enough heart knew they would obtain such power from killing what was left of the Nabateans, this whole nightmare may very well start all over again. So as the victor, Seiros wrote a false history, designed to protect her race, to honor her mother, and discourage the beliefs that led to Nemesis. She would _NOT _allow another Red Canyon Tragedy ever again. For their contributions to the cause, Seiros put the 10 Elites on a pedestal, as well as crests in general, with a new system of government: The Adrestian Empire. Creating a religion to worship her teachings, Seiros used her newly formed church to closely monitor human behavior, and with its army, stamp out anyone who proved a threat to its values. As time went on, and the Kingdom and Alliance came into being, Seiros, who had renamed herself Rhea to protect her secret heritage, permitted the splitting of these governments. Why? The same reason America has separations of power: No single person or group has all the control, and another uprising like the Agarthans would be less likely.

All descendants of Sothis had a beast form. But this beast form was typically used as a last resort only, and it's implied that continued use of it would lock them into that state forever. Such was the case with Maurice and Indech, whom after the war essentially just disappeared from society altogether and resigned themselves to life as a divine animal. And considering all the things they've been through, it's easy to understand that. Rhea's beast form was known as The Immaculate One, a white dragon that had aided her much in her fight against Nemesis. This next point is mere speculation, but the hatred that had taken hold in her heart as a result of her past is implied to have made The Immaculate One much more unstable than other beast forms. Maurice and Indech are both capable of holding onto their rationality and memories in their respective forms, but Rhea's always carries risk, in that all that repressed anger makes The Immaculate One more prone to violent and animalistic tendencies. If she were in a weak enough state, her wild instincts could take over altogether.

Anyway, as for Cethleann and Cichol? Well, before the invasion of Nemesis, Cethleann was Cichol's daughter. The mother of which met Cichol in Enbarr, where they confessed their love and got married. Nowadays, Cichol and Cethleann have also changed their names into Seteth and Flayn. The three of them would often visit the coast, a favorite spot for Flayn's mother. But sadly, one day the mother died of unspecified causes. Seteth and Flayn would visit at regular intervals to pay respects, and to reminisce about their time with her. Justifiably, Seteth was very protective of Flayn, and didn't take any chances for those who might wish her harm. He would go on to join Rhea as her advisor, giving Flayn a home in the comfort and security of Garreg Mach Monastery. But while everyone else was living their lives relatively well, Rhea was stuck in a dark corner of her mind. Rhea was the closest to Sothis, and though Nemesis was long dead, it didn't feel like enough anymore. On the outside, she acted with the same kindness and maternity that she saw in her mother, but on the inside, she was never able to move on from that loss. The difficult job of being the Archbishop only added to her increased feelings of loneliness. She retreated inward, even hiding her darkest thoughts from Seteth, and her most trusted allies. Over and over, she replayed the memories in her head of her mother. She just couldn't find the strength to let go.

Eventually, she felt she couldn't ignore it any longer. So she founded a secret series of experiments in the hopes of bringing her mother back to life. Time and time again, she failed. Some of the bodies she had made to house her mother's crest stone either failed to come to life at all, or successfully came alive, but never surfaced with her mother's original memories and personality. One such experiment, a woman, who had become a nun for the church, met a captain of the knights of Seiros. This captain, as you may guess, was Jeralt Eisner. The Blade Breaker. Jeralt and Rhea had met, after she saved her life in one of his battles. And he's been a key soldier for the Seiros religion ever since. Jeralt and the woman fell in love, and eventually had a child. But... there was one crucial problem: the woman was not created with reproduction in mind, and both mother and child were left on the edge of death. In her last moments, the woman begged Rhea to remove her crest stone, the crest stone of Sothis, and place it within the baby in the hopes it would save them. Rhea begrudgingly carries out her wish, and the baby lived. But the woman died mere minutes later.

This unnatural occurrence had a profound effect on the baby as well. For, no one had known it at the time, but this baby would go on to have the exact right parameters for fulfilling Rhea's wish and reviving Sothis. The problem was, the baby lacked the strength to support the consciousness of Sothis just yet. But even so, the crest stone was the only thing keeping it alive, and so Rhea let the child keep it. She had the child constantly observed, in the hopes to see any changes to suggest it might be the one she's been waiting for. But these incredibly suspicious actions frightened Jeralt, making him question Rhea's honesty whenever she spoke about his wife, or the child. When a fire broke out in Garreg Mach, Jeralt used the opportunity to fake the child's death. Rhea was devastated by the news, but still pressed on. Hoping that by some act of fate that this could be rectified. Not long after, Jeralt fled from Garreg Mach, and went into hiding. Raising the child as a mercenary, and doing his best to keep a low profile.

But the observant among you may have noticed I haven't yet mentioned what happened to the Agarthan survivors. What became of them? Well... they're still around. With Nemesis as dead as dirt, and Rhea now watching the entirety of Fódlan like a hawk, they had no choice but to remain underground. Generations came and went, and the Agarthan population slowly shriveled from disease, starvation, and a variety of other factors. Over the years, their physical appearance became practically unrecognizable, as they adapted to a life of solitude and darkness. The only consistent feature they all possess is the paper white skin, no doubt a consequence of minimal exposure to sunlight. Other than that, they possess a variety of distorted features, and as black is the primary color of Agartha, you will see them dressed in black in some way.

While it can be realistically suggested that they survived to some degree off of food conservation and cannibalism, at some point the Agarthans, (who will henceforth be referred to as the title branded by the rest of the world, "Those Who Slither In The Dark"), learned a manner of dark magic that allows them to magically disguise themselves in the faces of the dead. And all this time, they had taught their youth their own distorted interpretation of history. The same propaganda they used to deceive Nemesis. So by the time of the current generation, the living members of TWSITD believe the lie that their ancestors had clung to. And that hatred only strengthened, with the horrible lives they had to live in isolation in the last underground shelter still in usage, Shambhala. Not only did they hate Rhea and the church, for supposedly condemning them to die down here, but they also developed a sort of superiority complex to all humans above ground. Seeing them as ignorant hordes of idiocy, obediently serving the church without any care whatsoever.

Anyway, back to what I was saying, TWSITD are capable of kidnapping someone from the world above, killing them, and living on their lives disguised as the original person. With this useful trick up their sleeve, they're able to walk above ground without causing much commotion. Thales, the self-proclaimed leader of TWSITD today, chose a powerful individual to act as his disguise: Lord Arundel. Brother of the current emperor of Adrestia. And while they could now live somewhat normal lives, they did not forget or forgive those who they believe had wronged them. But they needed a delicately conceived plan, and a trump card on their side if they wanted to come out victorious. First and foremost, they wanted a back-up plan if they all failed. And that back-up plan was Nemesis. His body hadn't yet decayed, thanks to the blood he drank from Sothis. But they needed a way to revive him.

That's when they remembered how long the Nabateans live for. Could it be that crests, Nabatean blood, something there, could be used not just to prolong life, but restore it? This was the thinking behind Solon, the tactician of TWSITD. But if he wanted to test that theory, he'd need to understand all the variables. They arranged a series of revolting experiments on many with, and without crests. Usually resulting in the death of the test subjects. But in two instances, Solon was able to get back a positive result: Edelgard Von Hresvelg, now sole heir of the Adrestian Empire thanks to their dirty work, and a random noble girl named Lysithea. Successfully giving the both of them two crests, TWSITD realized just how useful they could be in their plans. Lysithea escaped before they could utilize her abilities, but Edelgard was all they needed. Her second crest was miraculously the crest of flames, AND she was to be empress one day. Needless to say, they planned to make use of her.

Thales did actually have a weapon in mind for if they ever get into a tight spot. A weapon that had been perfected across the years in Shambhala. A weapon so deadly, that they rival even The Immaculate One in destructive power: the javelins of light. Combining magic and technology, as well as the hypothetical science of kinetic bombardment, this spell absorbed all the dormant magic in Shambhala to summon a giant rod of metal in space, and then send it on a crash course to earth, to blow the earth's crust to shreds. To date, it had only been tested one time. The target was Ailel, and it successfully demolished everything in its blast radius! Reducing Ailel to a bubbling hot volcanic wasteland. But there was a reason it was used so sparingly: it was without a doubt Rhea would recognize it as their technology at a moment's glance. And if she used that magical trail to locate Shambhala, they would all be killed immediately. Thus Thales had to wait for a moment when there'd be no chance of retaliation to use this weapon. Or at the very least, catch a great sum of their opposition in the blast.

To further strengthen Edelgard, Solon needed to track down a sample of blood with an even higher concentration of Nabatean DNA in it. And the solution came readily to mind: the king of Faerghus was said to be planning a peace conference with the barbaric race of Duscur. If that were true, his blood would do _perfectly. _They needed to strike fast, devastating, and leave no survivors to rat them out to the church. They had the help of the emperor's ex-wife, and the current queen of Faerghus, who wanted to leave and return to her home so badly she'd do anything to make it happen. And so The Tragedy of Duscur came to be. Solon got the sample he wanted, and while one person did survive their attack, he was a child. It's not like he had any clue who they were, much less could tell anyone who matters about it. And as a bonus in his eyes, the blame for that occurrence was shifted away from them and onto the people of Duscur instead. And yet still, it wasn't enough. Much to his frustration, he realized what he needed was pure Nabatean blood. Untainted by human DNA. And that would easily be the most difficult task of them all. Because if he didn't play his cards down just right, the whole conspiracy would be blown wide open!

So Thales, under the guise of Lord Arundel, formed a pact with the Western Church. Praying on their grudge against the Central Church, which was run by Rhea. Not yet knowing that Seiros and Rhea were the same person, they convicted a scheme to break into The Holy Mausoleum, where Seiros' remains were said to be held, and would steal a few drops of her blood. Meanwhile, Solon took the form of Tomas, a librarian at Garreg Mach, whom wouldn't raise many alarms, in order to spy on the church's behavior. That's when he uncovered Rhea's plan to revive Sothis. Not knowing where the child is, or if they were even alive, he simply sat back and watched for anything out of the ordinary. In addition, once he figures out if the child is still alive, he has a special plan in mind to put an end to them, involving TWSITD's best assassin, Kronya. Securing a disguise for her, in the form of an Officer's Academy student, Monica. And the rest, you see play out in the game...


End file.
